Table game system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11132869-B2
Application number	US-201916440423-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 13, 2019
Priority date	Dec 12, 2014
Publication date	Sep 28, 2021
Grant date	Sep 28, 2021

Abstract

In a table game system provided by the present invention, a card shoe used in a table game can be used to calculate periods associated with the progress of the game handled by a dealer, particularly periods from the time when a card is drawn from a card accommodating section to the time when a result of the game is displayed, such as a game play period, and other periods excluding the play period which includes a bet period and a bet settlement period.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A table game system comprising:
shuffled playing cards that are playing cards formed of a set or a package of a multiple number of decks that are shuffled;
a card shoe including:
a card accommodating section configured to accommodate the shuffled playing cards, and
an opening through which the cards are drawn one at a time from the card accommodating section; and

a management control section configured to measure, based on points of time when specific items in a card game occur, a period between points of time when at least two of the specific items occur,
wherein an item of the measurement of the period between the points of time when the at least two specific items occur includes measurement of a period for which shuffled playing cards are used,
the period starting based on:
a first card being drawn at a start of use of new shuffled playing cards, or
a start of bets in a new game is received, and

the period ending based on:
a cut card is drawn from the card accommodating section,
an end of a game in which the cut card is drawn from the card accommodating section, or

an end of a last game of a predetermined number of games that follow a game in which the cut card is drawn end.

2. The table game system according to claim 1 , wherein the item of the measurement of the period between the points of time when the at least two specific items occur further includes:
measurement of an in-shoe package exchange period associated with an in-shoe package exchange operation,
with the in-shoe package exchange operation starting at:
the cut card being drawn from the card accommodating section, or
an end of a game in which the cut card is drawn from the card accommodating section, or
an end of a last game of a predetermined number of games that follow a game in which the cut card has been drawn ends, and

the in-shoe package exchange operation ending at:
a first card is drawn at a start of use of new shuffled playing cards is received, or
a start of bets in a new game.

3. The table game system according to claim 1 , wherein the card shoe further includes:
a card sensor configured to sense that one of the cards is drawn and output a signal associated with the cut card being sensed and drawn,
a card reading section configured to read at least a rank of the drawn card,
a win/loss evaluating section configured to perform win/loss evaluation of the card game based on information on the rank of the card read by the card reading section, and
a win/loss evaluation result output section configured to output a result of the win/loss evaluation performed by the win/loss evaluating section.

4. The table game system according to claim 3 , wherein the management control section is further configured to calculate a temporal ratio between the period for which the shuffled playing cards are used and an in-shoe package exchange period.

5. The table game system according to claim 3 , wherein in a plurality of games in the period for which the shuffled playing cards are used, the management control section is further configured to:
measure a period from time when a first card is drawn in each of the games to time when the win/loss evaluation result output starts as a play period; and
calculate:
a sum of a plurality of play periods in the period for which the shuffled playing cards on a package basis or a set basis are used,
an average of the play periods, or
dispersion of the play periods.

6. The table game system according to claim 3 , wherein:
the item of the measurement of the period between the points of time when the at least two specific items occur further includes:
(1) an item of measurement of a period from the time when the win/loss evaluation result output starts to the time when the win/loss evaluation result output stops as a bet settlement period, or
(2) an item of measurement of a period from time when the win/loss evaluation result output in a preceding game stops to the time when the first card is drawn as a bet period, and

the management control section is further configured to calculate at least one of a sum, an average, and dispersion of the bet settlement periods or the bet periods in a plurality of games in the period for which the shuffled playing cards are used.

7. The table game system according to claim 6 , wherein the management control section is further configured to add a result of the measurement of the bet settlement period to a result of the measurement of the bet period to determine a period excluding play and calculate at least one of a sum, an average, or dispersion of the periods excluding play in the plurality of games in the period for which the shuffled playing cards are used.

8. The table game system according to claim 7 , wherein the management control section is further configured to add a play period to a result of the measurement of the period excluding play to determine a game period and calculate:
a sum of a plurality of game periods in the period for which the shuffled playing cards on a package basis or a set basis are used,
an average of the game periods, or
dispersion of the game periods.

9. The table game system according to claim 3 , wherein:
the item of the measurement of the period between the points of time when the at least two specific items occur includes:
(1) an item of measurement of a dealing period that starts when a first card is drawn and ends when a fourth card is drawn in a play period, or
(2) an item of measurement of a player's period that starts when the fourth card is drawn and ends when the win/loss evaluation result output starts in the play period, and

the management control section is further configured to calculate at least one of a sum, an average, or dispersion of the dealing periods or the player's periods in a plurality of games in the period for which the shuffled playing cards are used.

10. The table game system according to claim 3 , wherein the management control section is further configured to set a standard guideline period corresponding to a measured dealing period, player's period, bet settlement period, bet period, play period, period excluding play, game period, or in-shoe package exchange period, and output an indication that any of the measured periods exceeds the standard guideline period.

11. The table game system according to claim 3 , wherein the management control section is further configured to calculate a ratio among at least a plurality of a calculated sum of dealing periods, player's periods, bet settlement periods, bet periods, the play periods, periods excluding play, or game periods and an in-shoe package exchange period.

12. The table game system according to claim 3 , wherein the management control section further includes an error sensing section configured to:
store a predetermined rule of the card game;
sense, based on the rule, a state of an error that is against the rule of the card game; and
store or output a number of sensed errors or contents of the sensed error in the period for which the shuffled playing cards are used.

13. The table game system according to claim 12 , wherein the management control section is further configured to:
identify:
(1) drawing of a subsequent card from the card shoe in a course of the game, or
(2) the win/loss evaluation result output performed by the win/loss evaluation result output section showing that the table game system has recovered from the state of the error,

measure an error recovery period required from time when the error sensing section senses the error to time when recovery from the state of the error is achieved, and
calcu

Assignees

• Angel Group Co Ltd

Inventors

• Shigeta Yasushi

Classifications

• A63F1/10

  Card holders · CPC title

• A63F1/18

  Scoring or registering devices; Indicators (A63F1/16 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G07F17/3293

  Card games, e.g. poker, canasta, black jack · CPC title

• G07F17/3288

  Betting, e.g. on live events, bookmaking · CPC title

• G07F17/3276

  wherein the players compete, e.g. tournament · CPC title